3 routes you can take into an HS2 engineering career

With the ongoing skills shortage in the engineering industry, employers are more open than ever to hiring engineers from other sectors who have transferrable skills. And fortunately, the majority of engineers (65%) are up for transferring into a different sector, according to our Voice of the Workforce research. One particular sector which might appeal to those seeking new surroundings is rail; offering engineering professionals the chance to land a job on the career-defining High Speed Two (HS2) project.

But how can you get a job on HS2 and what kind of opportunities are on offer?

Here are three different routes you can take to embark on an HS2 engineering career:

3D modelling

Computer Aided Design (CAD) teams are currently in high demand on the HS2 project to manage the influx of work in the building of viaducts, tunnels and the permanent way of the route as well as the overall structure and MEP (Mechanical Electrical Public) health for stations. In recent years, many CAD modellers have transferred from other roles, most commonly; engineers, IT operators, and mapping specialists. With so many routes into this role, moving into 3D modelling is a viable way into an HS2 career.

Mechanical design engineering

Although there are currently around 186,000 employed mechanical engineers in the UK (EngineeringUK State of Engineering report, 2017), they are still very much in demand. Mechanical design engineers are in particularly high demand on the HS2 project because of the high volume of work that is building related.

Working on HS2 could give you the opportunity to get involved in the renovation of Old Oak Common Station; a hugely exciting element of the overall project. The renovation will see complex changes being made to the original station, which makes for a very interesting project.

If you’re looking to take this path to an HS2 career, you’ll be pleased to know that people in this role often come from a range of backgrounds including electrical engineering, public health engineering, and even fire engineering. Whilst different sectors will have varying standards and codes to conform to, the design skills required and the process followed (for example, creating an air flow diagram) will be similar across all of them, making this an easy route into an HS2 career.

Construction management

Construction managers will be in high demand throughout the HS2 project, so it’s likely that skilled engineering professionals from other sectors, such as building services, oil & gas, nuclear, and highways, will be making a transfer to rail to bridge the skills gap as employers become more open to hiring people from other sectors. As long as you are up-to-date on the rail industry and health & safety procedures, and can demonstrate your strong organisational skills – which is vital when in full control of a site – this will be a great step towards a career on HS2.